The Pieces of Us
by Alternative Therapy
Summary: Sequel to Fragments. Some members of the Lions form a rebel faction. Their leader has one goal: to obtain control of the Lions from Luc Delmont. With Red Dragons joining the fight, the leader will do anything to win, even manipulating Faye against Spike.
1. Prologue

_An: Sequel to The Last Fragments of You. As last time focus will mainly be on Faye. All other notes at the bottom!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop.

The Pieces of Us

Alternative Therapy

Prologue

Ansel Rougierre walked through the charred hallway in the Lions Syndicate. It appeared it had only been a few hours since the battle that took place here had ended and as far as Ansel could see the main bulk of the casualties had been Lion members. The Lions Headquarters was creaking and shuttering around the few guards who had come with Ansel, many of the guards gingerly stepping about the place in fear that it would collapse on them. Their eyes were continuously lingering on the ceiling and loose plaster on the walls with each extended groan that caused the floorboards beneath their feet to shake. Ansel was impervious to all but the bodies that lay strewn across the floors.

His gait was easy and lax, casually stepping over still smoldering debris that blocked his path and not even bothering to take note of the pieces of plaster that dangerously dangled from only several pieces of splintered wood above his head. His eyes were focused on the bodies, taking in the number of bullets that riddled their skin and had followed the trail of bloodshed to this point of the fifty-seventh floor of the Lions Headquarters. Ansel's pace slowed and then completely stopped when he drew even with the door that had once led to Francois's office. Dried blood coated the remains of the oak door, pooled both by the door and the side of the office and was connected by a long smudge streak from a body that had been pulled from on position to the other.

Ansel studied the room and a pale blond eyebrow rose with interest. Ansel studied the path of the blood, along with the footsteps that had slide through it and easily noted that there had been more than one fight. Gray eyes followed the tracks left behind by the second fight and the path down the hall to where a single guard was slowly bending down to crouch over a prone body. Almost instantly the man tensed up and turned his eyes in Ansel's direction, his voice exhibiting the panic that was slowly gripping him. "Monsieur Roguierre!"

Another groan from the foundations of the building echoed up through the crumbling structure. The guard anxiously stood, eyes locked on the loose pieces of plaster and backed up closer to the wall. Several pieces of plaster crashed about Ansel, and instead of ducking and stepping away from the destruction, a wide smirk creased his features and he took several steps closer to the body and the guard. "Is that our dear Francois?" The guard brought his gaze down from the ceiling to where Ansel was closing the distance between them, not sure how to take the humor that was laced in his leader's voice managed a slight nod in response.

Ansel came up to Francois's side, his light eyes surveying the body and pausing over the knife that was still jutting out of the junction of Francois's shoulder and neck before examining the bullet hole in Francois's forehead. Ansel tsked lightly; head shaking in what the guard supposed was mock disappointment. "Dear, dear Francois." Ansel slowly knelt, his long fingers softly pushing Francois's blood crusted hair from out of his still wide open eyes. Ansel looked up at the guard who was standing across from him, watching with barely concealed interest. Ansel's eyes narrowed and softly cleared his throat. "We need to clean up this mess that Francois left behind. Get what guards you can find and gather anything and everything that could be useful or that can be incriminating. It wouldn't do to have conflicts with the ISSP at this point." The guard stared blandly at Ansel for several seconds before he nodded and started to head down the hall. Ansel's voice made him pause. "You have an hour . . . then I'm going to blow this place." The warning was clear enough; Ansel would blow the place with or without those incriminating objects. The guard nodded stiffly and took off at a jog to find anybody who could help him.

Ansel waited until the guard and vanished down the stairs before he turned his eyes back to Francois and his grin held a malicious edge. "It's such a shame, Francois. To think, I might feel more remorse over your death if I liked you better. As it is, I think Pierre had the right ideas about you. But, what does it matter now - you won't be commanding anybody." Ansel's voice faded when the sound of running footsteps were clamoring up the stairwell behind him.

Ansel didn't bother to look up as the footsteps stomped into the hallway and a voice labored to speak over his heavy breathing. "Monsieur! Monsieur Rougierre!" The man sprinted towards Ansel, the guard's pace slowing when he finally saw the man he sought. "We have found Pierre!"

Ansel looked at the guard for the first time as he slide to a halt over the debris in the hall and almost crashed into Ansel. The man hunched over when he finally came to a rest, his hands bracing against his knees while he tried to catch his breath. Ansel felt a tick of annoyance cause his eyebrow to twitch. "Well?" Ansel's impatient tone forced the guard's head to rise and when he saw the glare in his leader's eyes, he slowly straightened.

The guard swallowed roughly. "He's dead . . ." The guard had to look away as Ansel's sharp eyes locked on his and he found himself shivering involuntarily. "His body was found outside at ground level. He is bullet ridden … and it appears that he fell from one of the upper story windows or possibly the roof because his skull is crushed."

Ansel's face remained passive at this information, but his cool eyes were intensely studying the guards face. "And Luc Delmont? Do we know what happened to him?"

The guard nodded. "Yes, Monsieur. From what we can gather, he was gravely wounded, however it was recently confirmed that he is still alive. Apparently he had some outside help. The Savior of Lost Souls was here and a man named Spike Spiegel."

Ansel's eyes narrowed but were alight with interest. "Spike Spiegel? As in the former Red Dragon member? The Spiegel Pierre was after?"

"Yes, Monsieur. But he's no longer a former member, Monsieur. From what our sources tell us, it appears that he has become the Red Dragon Leader." The guard announced more confidently now that he didn't see any future retribution for the message he carried.

Ansel turned his gaze back to Francois's frozen face, a malicious smirk once again pulling at the corners of his mouth. "And how did that come about?" The guard shrugged at the question and Ansel laughed softly. "I see." There were several long moments of silence in which neither man moved. Ansel finally gave a soft sigh his annoyance with the man had reached it's peak. "Is there anything else?"

The guard's confidence dropped as quickly as it had come and he found his voice faltering when he tried to speak next. "Actually, Monsieur, it's about Luc Delmont." The guard paused again and when Ansel didn't look back at him he pressed on. "He was thinking ahead. He's already taken some steps to obtain control of the Lions." The guard paused again to see how Ansel would take the information. When he remained passive the guard quickly pressed on. "You know, Monsieur, with Pierre and Francois dead … I doubt many of the Syndicate members would put up much of a fight to his ruling. I mean, considering that he _is_ the next rightful leader. Many members would think it only right that he should take over . . ." The guard trailed off; the hopeful tinge in his voice hinting at the guard's own wish for the civil war in his syndicate to end.

Ansel sneered at the words and the only motion from him was his hand slowly reaching out to tenderly caress Francois' bloody cheek. "Does this mean that many of my men believe that Luc Delmont is the rightful Leader?" His voice was soft; the first vestiges of anger were thriving on the edges of the words. "That he, as a Colonist, deserves the position that Pierre and Francois were fighting so hard to obtain? Fighting to keep it out of Colonist hands?"

The guard shook his head rapidly in dismissal of the idea. "No, Monsieur, I was simply suggesting that many of us are sick of fighting. We don't want power to be in the hands of a Colonist anymore than you do, Monsieur. But many of us, well no, I have heard his ideas for the Syndicate, Monsieur, and he doesn't stand for all the laws that Pierre and Francois were fighting against. Colonist or not, he has the right ideas."

The tips of Ansel's fingers trailed down Francois's face to barely trace the jaw line before they came to a rest where the knife was embedded in the junction of the throat and shoulder and slowly curled about the knife's hilt. "I suppose you _could_ be right." With those words Ansel viciously yanked the knife from the cold and hard body, sprang to his feet, and let the blade fly, the curdled blood covered point finding its mark and sinking deeply into the guards' throat. His gray eyes found the guard stumbling earthward, his hands wrapping around and clutching at the blade as a low gargling echoed from the base of his throat. "But you see . . . you aren't. No Colonist will ever rule while I live. I will make sure of that." The wide eyes of the guard watched Ansel with disbelief and finally slumped to the ground as death claimed him.

Ansel ran a hand through his pale blond hair before he turned his eyes back to Francois and stepped over the body without a second look. He headed to the stairwell and glanced at his watch. He had fifteen minutes; fifteen minutes before he blew up the remains of the Old Lions Headquarters and with it anything that could possibly hold him back. With both Pierre and Francois dead, the men would look to someone to guide them. With all the confusion it wouldn't take much to be that person. In fact, it would be simple. He had already taken the first steps for Pierre had done most of the dirty work for him when he had formed his plan to go against Francois.

Pierre had already killed the Elders and formed an alliance with many of the guards. Many of the men knew that Pierre trusted Ansel and their alliance would easily transfer to him amidst the confusion. All he had to do was play the card of avenging Pierre, and he would easily obtain leadership over any of the stragglers. All he really needed to worry about was killing Luc Delmont. That was where the challenge was. The Savior of Lost Souls wasn't that much of a concern. Why would a woman who stole children care if he, a member of the Lions took control of the Syndicate. It was Monsieur Spiegel that irked him.

Ansel looked up as a guard came running into the stairwell looking flustered, his arms full of what few weapons that Ansel assumed was still usable from the armory. Ansel studied the man who was struggling to keep balance and keep hold of everything. Ansel felt a smirk curve his lips as he watched the man. If he was going against the entire Red Dragon Syndicate than so be it, but he would need to be well armed in both weapons and information. If this was the same man that Pierre had been after and if what Pierre had said about Spiegel was true, then killing the man would not be as simple as gaining the trust of the strewn Lions members. Ansel reached out and grabbed the overloaded guard his grin growing even wider. "I have a new assignment for you. I want you to gather all the information you can on a Monsieur Spike Spiegel. I want to know what makes the Red Dragon Leader tick."

_AN: Hey guys! I'm back! I've been telling you for a while that I would be writing a sequel to Fragments and here it is! As always I don't edit very well so please excuse typos and such. I promise the first real chapter will be out in January. As always let me know what you guys think. Thought I'd introduce the "villain" first, see what you thought of him. This isn't much but at least it's a start! Hope you enjoyed this. Take it easy!_


	2. Chapter One

_An: Notes and translations at the bottom!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop.

The Pieces of Us

Alternative Therapy

Chapter One

Faye was hot. Calloused fingertips burned random patterns up and down her right arms while his other hand gently played and kneaded the skin at the soft arch of her back. Spike pulled her roughly into his larger frame. Faye moaned lightly when his lips brushed the juncture of her shoulder and neck and teasingly bit her pale skin. His hot breath spilled across the skin of her throat in a laugh and caused gooseflesh to arise before he followed the upward curve of Faye's neck to nibble on her earlobe. Slowly Spike guided her back to his desk, the back of her thighs pressed harshly against the rough wood of the maple.

Faye couldn't think straight. She was fervent and found herself helpless to Spike' antics. Never had a man heated her the way he did. His fingers didn't long linger or remain satisfied with the skin of her shoulder and back. In one swift and fluid movement, his lips claimed hers and at the same time lifted her lithe frame off the ground and saw her on the desk. Her head and shoulders dipped and Faye was lost to the feel of his weight pressing down on her. Any pain she might have felt with the position was lost with the sensations that Spike was reverberating down her body.

It was only distantly that she registered the sharp rapping on the locked office door. Spike completely ignored it, his large hand instead finding the soft contours of her breasts. Faye moaned again at the sudden attack, but found her eyes opening at the even sharper pounding on the door this time followed by someone rattling the door handle. With an extreme exert of self control, Faye gently put her hand in a placating manner on Spike's chest and softly pushed him away from her. Her voice came out in a series of gasps and moans, "shouldn't you see who that is?"

Despite her weak appeal, Spike was once again nibbling at her neck, one of his hands hand come up and guided hers to wrap about his neck. Heat was rising from Faye's lower belly while Spike's mouth worked diligently down her throat to her somewhat exposed chest. It was the third knock that broke Spike's patience. With a growl, Spike hauled his weight off of her and wheeled about on his heel. While Spike's agitated gait carried him to the door, Faye took the opportunity to pull herself upright and tried to fix her ravaged features. She had barely slid forward so she was sitting instead of lying on the desk when Spike flung the door open wide with a snarled "What?"

A young woman with thick black hair and gray eyes smiled up at Spike. She was holding a stack of papers in front of her and looking like she had not noticed the anger that was evident in Spike's voice. Faye felt the corners of her mouth dipping into a frown. The woman was Arianna Cortina and she was completely infatuated with Spike. From what Faye had gathered, Arianna had been a Lost Soul child that had never managed to escape from the White Tigers Syndicate. While the White Tigers and the Red Dragons were still fighting, the Dragons had taken to recruiting the Lost Souls of the Tiger Syndicate, offering freedom they had never been able to achieve under Tiger rule. Arianna and many other Tigers had jumped at the chance for a taste of freedom. She had been on of the few recruits who had advanced up the ranks quickly. She had been the next in line to become Spike's personal secretary. That was until Faye had showed up and filled the position. Any chance Arianna had of taking both that position and winning Spike's attentions were shot. She was left to play secretary for some of Spike's men. Needless to say, neither woman truly cared for the other.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your work, Spike. But Shin Thought you might like to read this." Arianna lightly patted the file in her arms. "He says it's urgent." Her sultry tones and the obvious attempt to draw attention to her full figure made Faye snort. The sound drew Arianna's eyes and an ill concealed looked of hatred darkened them when she took in Faye's mussed appearance.

Faye's frown quickly lifted and she lowered herself to the floor. Spike paid no attention to the exchange instead he took the file from Arianna and skimmed the contents. Arianna's eyes were drawn from Faye to Spike with the movement and seemed to realize that it was not the best idea to be glaring at the leader's woman while he stood right there. "Shin says the rebel factions activities are increasing on Ganymede," Arianna quickly pressed on. "And the factions on Mars have doubled in the last –"

"Arianna." The single word of Spike's was soft but biting. "Is this your report?" His mahogany eyes lifted from the file to stare down at the girl. Her mouth snapped closed and she mutely shook her head 'no.' Spike closed the file. "Then I would advise you not to speak out of your position." He turned around and walked back to Faye. His rough hand caressed her cheek before pushing some loose strands of violet hair behind her ears. The kiss that followed was savage with Spike's passion and left Faye weak kneed, braced against the desk.

Spike pulled away with a grin. "Set up Conference room D, Arianna. I want to hear the report from Shin." Spike bent down and captured Faye's lips again while blindly reaching around her to grab his gun which had been discarded on the desk early. When the gun was safely tucked away he pulled back and softly spoke against Faye's ear. "Care to join me?"

Faye leaned back to get a better look at Spike. Since coming to live at the Dragons Syndicate Headquarters she had only sat in on a few meetings. The way the Dragon members talked of the incident at the Lions Headquarters on Ganymede and the interrogations of several Lion members who seemed to be distantly connected to the Lions Rebel factions drove up unpleasant memories that Faye rather not have resurface. Briefly she closed her eyes and images of Reeves and Luc's bloody form covering hers flashed to mind. There were things that, no matter how much time had passed, would not ever be easier to deal with.

"No, I may join you in a while." Faye reached behind her and grabbed the pack of cigarettes that were sitting there. Spike had a lighter out before Faye had even taken two cigarettes out of the pack. Faye's eyebrow rose but she wordlessly put both cigarettes in her mouth and lit them from Spike's lighter.

Spike took one of the cigarettes from her mouth before he stepped back studying her intently. He put the cigarette into his own mouth and took a short drag off it. "All right." He mumbled and turned back to the door where Arianna stood waiting angrily. "Arianna, Luc Delmont, the Lion Syndicate leader will be arriving shortly. After setting up the conference room, you will need to go and escort him there from the main lobby. You can take him around security." Without another word to either woman, Spike brushed passed Arianna and out into the hall.

Arianna stood there watching Spike's form walk away for a moment before she turned to Faye with a snarl. "Hm. No goodbye. Maybe I was right about you, after all. You certainly do look like nothing more than a common whore."

Faye laughed around her cigarette. She leaned back into the desk once again and after taking a long drag, pulled the cigarette off her bottom lip, smoke unfurling about her. "That seems to be the general consensus with you secretaries." The fact that Faye didn't become fazed by her words caused Arianna to scowl. Faye took another drag off her cigarette and watched the woman for a moment. When it looked like Arianna was about to say something else, Faye quickly cut her off. "Aren't there some things you need to be doing?" Arianna didn't say anything but turned to go. A wolfish grin followed Faye's next words. "Oh, and Arianna? Jealousy is not at all becoming."

Arianna turned away with a snarl and slammed the door behind her. Faye shook her head. It had been three long months since the fight with Francois and Pierre had ended. Three long months of being escorted around and being forced to put up with Arianna's attitude. It was only hours after they had left the Lions Headquarters on Ganymede that the new of the building had exploded had reached Spike. From his quick and direct actions, it appeared to Faye as if he had expected something like that to happen. He sent teams to investigate a rebel faction that had been making strong movements in Ganymede that had been found to have deep ties with Pierre Dragonetti. As Faye laid with her head resting on Spike's shoulder, fighting off the exhaustion that was trying to claim her, she was shocked to hear that Pierre had been planning to overtake Francois long before she had ever encountered the two half brothers. Pierre had started the Lions Rebel Faction right after he had left the Red Dragon Syndicate. It was now, after Pierre's death, that the remaining members of that faction had performed that bombing, in what looked like, an attempt to keep Pierre's legacy and motives alive.

The new leader of the faction, however, remained an unknown quantity. The discussion slowly delved into the motives of the faction, Faye sat up to be able to listen more intently to the conversation, which only caught Spike's attention. Before she could grasp what he was planning on doing about this new information, Spike had picked her up and took her to another room with a bed and gave her the single command of "rest." When she protested, he climbed into the bed with her, holding her smaller frame close. It didn't take long before his even and steady breathing had lulled her into a deep sleep. When she awoke later, she was alone and soon found out that Spike had assigned two of his best men to escort her to the Red Dragon Syndicate Headquarters on Mars. Angry at Spike for steering away from the information, sore and still tired from her Ganymede escapades did not make her easy to deal with.

Later that evening, Faye found herself strolling through the Headquarters lobby escorted by the two men, Jake and Michael, who had been assigned to her. She found herself an object of a lot of attention, half the men shooting leering gazes in her direction despite her bruised and bloody countenance. Threading her way through the throngs of people towards the elevators was where she had her first encounter with Arianna. It was Arianna's high pitched laughter that caught Faye's attention, as the Italian looking turned to whisper to her friend none-too-quietly, "Who is she? Looks like a trashy Lion Syndicate whore coming to offer her services to Spike. Ha, like he'd ever be interested in someone like her!"

Faye stopped to glare at Arianna. She was furious; the split in her lip was pounding in time with her headache as blood rushed viciously through her veins. When Faye failed to move after a few seconds, one of her personal escorts the one named Jake, reached up to direct her by the elbow. Faye finally snapped, tired from being manhandled by Francois and Pierre and now this Red Dragon member. She was irate when she turned on Jake and grabbed the wrist of his hand that held her. Her jagged nails burrowed into his tender flesh and a soft but angry hiss expelled through her clenched teeth. "Don't touch me."

Surprise flitted across Jake's features and Faye vaguely noted that her actions had not gone unnoticed by the Dragon members who were on guard in the lobby. A quick glance around the area showed her the many eyes that were upon her, some people even had gone as far as putting their hands on their guns. With this realization, Faye slowly let the man's wrist drop, and with a small nod, she allowed herself to be ushered into the elevators. It soon became known that the labeled nameless violet haired bombshell who had strolled through the lobby the evening of the Lion Syndicate bombing was the Red Dragon Leader's woman. And now, weeks later, Faye was under a different kind of scrutiny. Especially when it became known that she not only did she have ties to Spike, the Savior of Lost Souls, and the new Lions Syndicate leader, but she was also known as the infamous Poker Alice. Things became steadily worse for her.

After a few weeks, once Spike was sure Faye was well rested and had mostly recovered, he began to allow her to sit in on some of the meetings. It was at those meetings that Faye learned that Spike had Jinni and Jet Black along with Edward and the other Lost Soul children and moved them to a new place on Mars called Tharsis City, directly under Red Dragon Protection. Faye also learned that Luc Delmont who had taken a bullet from Francois for her had recovered after a month and a half under the care of a Red Dragons doctor. As soon as he was able, Luc returned to Ganymede and assumed his role as leader over a dismantled Golden Lion Syndicate. And for Faye, she had found that coming to accept Spike's love completely meant giving up certain freedom. She felt she was a caged Romani. No longer able to roam outside without an escort, no longer allowed the thrill of a bounty hunt, instead forced to stay inside and listen without action. Faye was growing edgy. No, things had not been easy for anyone these last few months.

Faye sighed and brought the cigarette to her lips, pushing away from the desk. She slowly walked over to the sun glossed window and stared out at the red tinged city view. The rebels were recently taking new measures against Luc and the Red Dragons who had backed him. This recent report was one of many and Spike had grown even more protective. Faye took a long drag off the cigarette and vaguely wondered if Julia had felt as smothered and confined as she did.

Faye shook her head at the idiotic thought. From what Spike had told her about Julia, it appeared that the blond haired woman had never got the chance to feel trapped or smothered. She died on the run, no because she was accepting of Spike's feelings but because she couldn't. It was now apparent to Faye that Julia had not loved Spike as deeply as Spike had once been led to believe, but she had died trying to make it up to him. Maybe that was partly why Spike was so protective of Faye. He had Faye's love and he was doing everything in his power to keep it.

The sound of the office door opening made Faye turn to see how would dare walk into Spike's office without knocking. The lean face of a familiar Frenchman forced a smile onto Faye's face despite her agitated feelings. It had been a while since she had last seen Luc, and at that time he hadn't been fully recovered from saving her life. Everything about him now, right to the way he openly eyed her body told her that he was completely mended. Faye arched an eyebrow. "I hope you didn't come here expecting me to thank you for taking that bullet for me." Faye walked around to the other side of the desk and stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray and stared blankly at Luc who shut the door behind him.

Luc chuckled. "Always playing the bitch, aren't you Faye?"

Amusement was evident in Faye's next words, "Only for my favorite Frenchman." Over the last months while Luc had been healing, Faye and the Frenchman had become closer and made amends between them. The more time Faye spent with the once surly man, the more open and lighthearted he became. She was beginning to see the resemblance between Luc and his deceased brother Reeves.

Luc's signature cocky grin pulled his features and Faye saw Reeves' image playing about Luc's lines. "Alors, ma chere, does this mean you'll leave Spiegel for me?" The smooth and rich accent made her smile. The language no longer angered her as it once did when Pierre spoke it to her.

Pierre's image was pushed to the wayside of Luc's and Reeves's. Luc had taken her hand and lightly kissed the top of it. Faye shook her head. "You know you could never satisfy me."

Luc shrugged and let out a drastic sigh. "Oh, you wound me, ma chere, but it is your loss." He paused for a second with a pensive look. "And, I suppose, mine as well . . . I now have to find another way to get under Spiegel's skin."

Faye snorted despite the heated images of Spike that invaded her mind, she still found herself filled with doubt when it came to Spike. Could she ever truly be Spike's next Julia? "I think it will take more than threatening to steal me away to get under Spike's skin.

Luc gave her a skeptical look. "If you think that then you truly underestimate yourself, ma chere."

Faye turned her head away form Luc's steady gaze. She still had yet to come to full terms with the fact that Spike loved her. She had accepted it, yes, but she didn't know the full meaning behind Spike's definition of love. "Why'd you come here, Luc? You are supposed to be in a meeting and you're not the type of person to seek me out just for some idle talk."

"Always right to the point, and as I pointed out early, still as bitchy as ever, but, I guess, that's what's endearing about you." Faye glared at Luc whose smile widened. "And because you are dear to me, I believe you will help me."

Faye ran a hand through her hair. "You came here because you need a favor?" Her tone was incredulous. "The last time you needed help you wanted me to convince Spike to go to the Lions Syndicate. At least that time I had some kind of foundation to stand on to make my point, but now? If you haven't noticed I'm trapped here. Spike rules everything! Wouldn't you be better off going to ask him for help?"

Apparently Faye's frustration with the Dragon Syndicate was caught by Luc. "You aren't as helpless as you are led to believe, ma cherie, you _are_ the Red Dragon Leader's woman, you hold more power here with that title alone than you realize. Have you ever tired testing the limits of what you can do?"

Faye studied Luc and pulled out another cigarette from the pack that still sat on the desk. She wordlessly offered Luc one who had already procured a lighter. This idea offered Fay a strange confidence. She had never thought of herself that way. If she held as much power as Luc said she did, then why was she being smothered? Then here was Luc and an opportunity for a single night of freedom. Last time she had helped him because she owed a debt to his brother and the strange information that had led her to leaping off the Lions Syndicate roof and left Reeves to death. But this time, was different. While Luc had sacrificed much for her, there wasn't the guilt of death hanging over her head and all the injuries he had were now healed. One of Faye's favorite mottos was you never got something for nothing.

Faye mumbled around the cigarette. "All right," she pulled the offending object from her lips and slowly exhaled, smoke drifting to the ceiling. "What do you want me to do?"

Luc grinned again. "My escort didn't perform her duties. She got me through the security in the lobby and left me. And now I can't get into that meeting. The guard at the door told me that a Frenchman had no business being there unescorted, least I be a spy. I figured this was the perfect situation to test – and flaunt – your power."

It was the idea of flaunting her power that hooked her. Luc knew about the Arianna situation and her actions towards Faye. The idea of being able to stroll in with the man Arianna had almost seemingly purposefully forgot was too good to pass up on. Luc was right; Faye needed to stop acting like such a pushover. It was almost as if Spike's confession had made her go soft. Soft was definitely not something she was. Faye met Luc's gaze with a lopsided grin. "Fine. I'll help you but this time you need to do something else for me as well."

Luc eyes narrowed obviously not liking the sudden change of topic and the tone Faye's voice was taking. "I thought flaunting would be enough."

Faye shook her head. "No, you can't always get something for nothing. I need a favor in return."

Luc grimaced. "This is almost blackmail, ma cherie, all you are doing is getting me into a meeting I'm already supposed to be in. And, in a way, I'm already helping you with Arianna."

Faye grinned evilly. "Fine, have fun here." Faye moved to the door but Luc quickly spoke up effectively stopping her.

Luc cleared his throat. "What do you have in mind, ma cherie?"

Faye took a short drag off her cigarette, her smile widening beneath it. "I need a bounty and I need you to research my quarry. Spike forbids me to look for bounty heads. Apparently it's not a safe pastime for the Red Dragon Leader's woman."

Luc gave her a look of disbelief. "You want to go bounty hunting? How do you plan to do that when you have an escort following you?"

"I don't. They'll be ditched the first chance I get." Faye ignored Luc's pessimistic frown and continued talking. "I didn't avoid debt collectors all these years without being a little resourceful when it comes to escaping. And how do you think I became known as Poker Alice? Luck?"

Luc took a long drag from his own cigarette and flicked the butt into the ashtray. He spoke through the smoke filtering out of his mouth. "Spiegel will have my head."

Faye rolled her eyes. "He doesn't need to know of your involvement. Now, do you want into that meeting or not?"

Luc closed the distance between them and back Faye up into the door. His hot breath chilled her skin much like Spike's had and he leaned in so his lips skimmed the edge of her earlobe. "This is blackmail. But . . . I knew my brother's Valentine was inside there somewhere." Slowly his lips moved to her cheek and lightly placed a soft kiss on her pale skin. "I'll play your game, cherie, for you once played mine, and you have earned my respect." As suddenly as he had closed the distance he had stepped back. Faye didn't speak; instead she nodded and moved back to the desk to extinguish her cigarette.

"I do have a few terms however. I would like you to stay on Mars. The Lion Rebels are still out there and definitely out for Red Dragon blood since it was Spiegel who saved my life. I doubt the would have any qualms about using you against him." Faye gave look a hard gaze but with the way his features were set she had a feeling she would have a hard time of arguing this one. He could be as stubborn as she was.

Faye nodded in agreement. "Okay. But I'll need you to pick the bounty head and me up. I can't give Spike a call for that kind of thing. I can just see how well that would go over."

Luc nonchalantly waved his hand in agreement. "Well then, since that's settled shall we get going to the meeting? Of course, you do understand that I want to save face as much as possible. It definitely wouldn't do for people to know that I came to you asking for your help."

Faye laughed suddenly feeling light hearted. "No, I suppose not. You go ahead of me . . . and I'll idly pass by in a few minutes."

"J'adore toi, ma cherie." Luc turned and walked out of the room before Faye could pull him into any other agreements. Faye turned back to the window feeling ecstatic. It would be nice to get a little normalcy back in her life. Of course, nothing had ever truly been normal. From being frozen, to becoming Poker Alice, and finally being the Red Dragons leader's woman, nothing had been normal. And despite it all, Faye didn't want it to be. She had a feeling that a normal life would drive her insane.

A jittery feeling climbed into her lower abdomen much different from the one Spike had inserted there. This one felt along the line of her Poker Alice days. In debt, on the run, always on guard trying to keep from being caught; this was an old excitement she missed. While she was still confined to Mars, at least she would be able to wonder freely without being hampered by guards. Now all she had to do was figure out how to ditch Jake and Michael.

Faye sighed and shook her head to clear those thoughts. Once she knew who and where her bounty was she could plan accordingly, now it was to refocus. Faye walked over to the only couch in the room and picked up her coat and gun which had been discarded there. She slipped the gun into its usual spot, the reassuring weight of it had always offered a strange comfort and this time was no different. The moment she opened the office door she could feel the difference of her comfort zone drop. The air in the hall felt thick and heated while the office that Spike had been dwelling in offered a cool and comforting feel, as if the furniture and his belongings exuded his presence.

Faye lowered her manicured finger to pres the call button for the elevator. Conference Room D was six floors up. No one was in the elevator when the doors opened, which came as a small relief to Faye. Despite her need for information, some news about the Lions Syndicate and the Rebels left her unsettled. Images from the few days she spent in the Lions Headquarters were always fresh on her mind. Especially Reeves and her building jump escapades. She had a feeling that was partly the reason why Spike had steered her away from the information right after everything had happened. She hadn't been completely ready to come to terms with anything in her exhausted state.

The elevator doors opened and Faye was greeted by several men in business suites whom Faye had never seen before were waiting to get on. There was an obvious pause in which some of the men froze and didn't bother to hide their obvious stares. These stared flooded Faye with confidence, if she could stop men like this just on an elevator she couldn't wait to see what she could do on a bounty hunt. Moving passed the men she heard their muttered approvals of her figure.

Behind them was a member of her personal escort, Jake, who loudly cleared his throat. "This way, Ms. Valentine, Mr. Spiegel is waiting for you." Jake however did not let her pass right away. He stopped her just outside the elevator and gestured to a lean man surrounded by two bigger built men. "Governor Melby, may I introduce Faye Valentine. Ms. Valentine this is the Martian Governor of Tharsis, Gabriel Melby. Governor Melby has just had a brief meeting with Mr. Speigel and I was just escorting them out."

The Governor took Faye's hand. "So this is the lovely lady Mr. Spiegel walk talking about. Please, call me Gabe, Ms. Valentine." When Jake had introduced the pair, the business men's mutterings had come to a silence, some of their faces were drawn tight and turning white, apparently they were just realizing who they had been muttering about and were regretting their actions.

Faye smiled politely. "Nice to meet you, Governor Melby," Faye gently took her hand from the Governor's grip. "If you would please excuse me, I'm running late."

The Governor looked slightly put off by her quick dismissal but nodded. "Of course, I'm sure we'll be seeing much of each other in the future."

Faye gave the man a tight lipped smile and turned to go when Jake stopped her once again. "Michael and I will be waiting for you outside once the meeting is over if you wish to go anywhere." Michael was her other assigned escort. "In fact," Jake continued. "Michael's at the door to the conference room now if you need him."

Faye patted Jake on the shoulder. He was one of the few people she had gotten along with from the start. It was a shame that she was going to get him in trouble by ditching him. "Thank you."

Faye could feel the Governor's entourage eyeing her but she only paused briefly to nod a goodbye to the Governor himself before she walked away. Faye wasn't sure how Spike could stand all the political meetings he had been attending ever since he became the Dragon Leader. But from the looks of things, Spike had most of Mars under his control. When she neared the conference room, raised voices reached her ears. She recognized both Luc and Michael's tones even from a distance.

"I told you, you are not allowed in here without proper escort!" A deep yet calm voice was the first Faye could make out clearly. Michael had always been very level headed. Faye stopped at the corner where the halls intersected and studied the two Dragon guards that wouldn't allow Luc to pass. Michael was a light skinned Italian man who was a descendant of the old White Tigers Syndicate before they had reformed and first attacked the Dragons while Vicious was tempting to gain control. While Jake had been raised in the Dragons, Michael, like Arianna, had defected more recently to the Dragons, but unlike Arianna, Michael had worked hard to gain his newly acquired standing and position.

Luc's response was much like Spike's towards Arianna, quick and biting. "If I didn't have proper escort how do you think I got passed security in the lobby? I'm telling you, my escort ditched me down there!" Faye could tell that Luc was starting to loose his calm, he had been judged like this ever since the Lions Rebels started to break out and kill Red Dragon Members. Faye was surprised more fights hadn't broken out between the two Syndicates that were supposed to be working together. Faye had a feeling that Spike had something to do with keeping peace on the Dragon side.

Michael refused to budge. "And I told you you're not entering without an escort, you damn piece of French trash. I think we need to look into how you got passed lobby security as well." Michael turned to the guard behind him and gestured to Luc with a scoff. "Who would trust a Frenchman when all your peers are out for Dragon blood?"

Luc was about to open his mouth to retort when Faye stepped forward and spoke. "That's enough, Michael." All three men jumped at the sound of her voice. While the two guards looked shocked at her sudden appearance, Luc had a hard time taming his smile.

Michael looked alarmed at her unexpected intrusion and stiffly bowed his head to her. "Ms. Valentine."

Faye lifted an eyebrow at his stiff greeting and felt her anger rise not really at Michael but herself. She had been much too demure recently and that was going to change. "Why aren't you allowing him in?"

Michael didn't hesitate to answer. "He doesn't have an escort, he's French and he's from the Lions. You can't trust any of the French these days. He could be a rebel."

Faye's eyes narrowed. "Ah, I see." Faye paused and stepped up beside Luc her eyes returning the favor Luc had given her by roving over his body. It was Luc's turn to raise his eyebrow. Faye turned back to Michael, her stiff manner returned. "So, from your rational, Michael, that means we shouldn't trust you, either." Michael stuttered with surprise but Faye didn't give him a chance to speak. "You're associated with the White Tigers who are still battling the Dragons. Does this mean I can't trust you?"

Michael muttered something incoherently but Faye quickly cut him off, feeling slightly guilty. "Never mind, Michael. This," Faye gestured lazily to Luc. "Is Luc Delmont, the new Lions Syndicate true leader. If you still think he needs an escort into this meeting, than allow me to be his escort." Without waiting for a reply, Faye pushed passed Michael and the other guard and walked straight into the meeting that was already in progress. With a broad smile she turned to the men surrounding her and pointedly stopped to stare at Arianna who was frowning at her entrance. "Pardon my intrusion, boys. But I believe you started this meeting without two key players."

The Dragon members around her watched in her shocked silence and Luc followed her in behind her quietly. Spike sat near the head of the table grinning at her and slowly crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair to watch her antics. One of the older Dragon members finally overcame his shock to speak out. "Who do you think you are, Barging in here like this?"

Faye felt another wolfish grin dash across her features. "The name's Poker Alice, boys and let me tell you, I've never been the kind of woman to just sit by and let a man make all the important decisions."

The old man looked over to Spike with apparent anger. "Mr. Spiegel, are you going to allow you're woman to talk to us like that?"

Spike never took his eyes off of Faye. "I believe I am." With a broad smile he finally turned to look at the man who had voiced his concerns. "The whole good girl thing has never been her cup of tea. And I've never been the type of guy to like the good girl type."

Luc had pulled into a seat beside Spike and sat down. Faye followed suit and moved to Spike's right hand side where there was one empty seat. Arianna glare never left Faye. Faye gave her a small wink before she sat down. "So boys, who cares to tell Luc and me what you've been discussing?"

Most of the men murmured a surprising praise of Faye's actions and began to fill her in on the details of the meeting. Underneath the table Spike lightly squeezed her knee and seemed more pleased with her than he had in a long time. With this and a bounty to look forward too, Faye was in her prime. Three months of playing the demure damsel in distress was over. The haughty form of her old Poker Alice exterior was back, ready to take control of this new life of hers. It was just a matter of playing the right cards and keeping a solid poker face. She had mastered those techniques years ago. Now all Faye Valentine was waiting for was to be dealt in to this new game of poker.

Alors: so

Ma cherie: My dear

J'adore toi: I adore you.

_An: All right. Long time I know. But at least this update is done. I am finally happy with this chapter. Please excuse all typos. I didn't really bother to check through this, I'll admit that. Hope you guys enjoyed this. Please review! Till next time! Take it easy!_

Kahoko: Sorry for such a long wait. I hope this long chapter makes up for it though. Thank you for reviewing! Please continue to let me know what you think! I always enjoy hearing from my readers.

Midnight Ninja Kat: I'm glad you enjoyed the prologue! Hopefully this chapter is up to my usual standards. Sorry it took so long!

Kyra: I recently reread the prologue and you were right. I do use his name a lot. Oh well, that's what I get for posting without looking over something. Makes me wonder how this one will turn out… I didn't read over it at all. Oh well. Any chance of seeing an update from you anytime soon? Take it easy!

Ja-chan: Spike and Faye is always a good combination in my humble opinion. Sorry for such a long wait for this chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing!

Phoenix521: Super excited is what I love from my reviewers. Hopefully this story will live up to "Fragments" standards. But we'll see. If all updates take this long, I don't know how it will hold up. (Sigh) Thanks for reviewing!

Sparkle85: Hopefully this chapter at least some Spike/Faye goodness. I like that I'm finally on the sequel because I can really start going more in-depth with their relationship! Thanks for the review and sorry for the long wait!

Littleone: sorry for the long wait! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Dimpled Red Head: Well here's your next chapter! Hope you like it!

SpikerLUVER: So am I. I love the fact that I am trying the sequel. It's fun to get something out I actually like! Thanks for the review!

NewPennies: I like criticism just as much as I like praise. Please give me some constructive criticism! Thanks for the review!

MT Pocket: Thanks for the review. Sorry for the long wait!


	3. Update

Hey all,

I am updating to say consider this story dead for now. I long ago lost inspiration for writing it and real life has interfered. More than a year ago, I moved to South Korea where I have been working teaching English as a Second Language to Elementary and Middle school students. In this time I have traveled Asia and have done a lot of non-fanfiction writing. However, as of now, I am currently working on a different Bebop story and maybe another genre. We'll see where the pen takes me. Hopefully you can expect something soon. Check my profile for updates!

Take it easy,

Alternative Therapy


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